22 THE farmers' handbook. 



The climate is temperate and the rainfall good. The latter may be given as 

 30 inches annually on the average. Being the oldest settled district in the 

 State, all land of productive value has been taken up. 



The farming carried on is chiefly dairying, fruit-culture (especially citrus 

 fruits in the Windsor and Metropolitan districts), poultry, market- 

 gardening, and the ordinary cereal fodder plants and roots. 



There is a fair amount of timber in the district, and representatives <>f 

 most of the best Australian hardwoods are still to be found. Clearing and 

 grubbing may be put down at £10 to £20 per acre, the cost varying with the 

 locality and the timber. For grazing, ringbarking, felling, and cleaning up 

 the cost would be from 12s. 6d. to 30s. per acre. 



Timber for fencing is still fairly abundant in the coastal districts, except 

 about lllawarra. 



For posts : Red and grey gum, iron bark, box, turpentine, mahogany r . 

 blood wood, peppermint, and redwood are all used. 



For rails the best timbers are blackbutt, grey gum, stringybark, and' 

 red gum. 



Turpentine is rarely attacked by white ant, which is prevalent in the- 

 district. 



Post and rail fences, two-rail, 640 posts to the mile, can be erected forfrouy 

 £80 to £120 per mile. 



Four- wire (No. 8) cattle fence, 640 posts to the mile, costs £55 to £80 ;: 

 and seven-wire sheep-proof fence, No. 8 wire, 528 posts to the mile, with 

 droppers, will cost £70 to £90 per mile. 



For rabbit-proof fencing, six-wire, with 42-inch netting, 440 posts to the- 

 mile, and droppers, the cost would be from £90 to £120 per mile. 



Well-sinking in alluvial costs from 15s. to 20s. per foot, and excavating for 

 tanks from Is. 6d. to 3s. per cubic yard. 



The prices are necessarily approximate, as the conditions of settlement and 

 trade vary in this district very much, as will be realised by contrasting 

 Central Cumberland with such places as Putty, Hawkesbury River, Burra- 

 gorang, and the lower South Coast. 



The transport varies considerably from level to hilly and mountainous 

 with roads both hard and soft. 



The district, both on account of its nature and its proximity to market, is 

 better adapted to mixed farming, such as dairying, fruit-growing, poultry- 

 raising, beekeeping, market-gardening, pig-keeping, <kc, rather than to one crop. 



Tamworth Land Board District. 



Includes Tamworth, Manilla, Barraba, Nundle, Werris Creek, Quirindi, Bindella, . 

 Tambar Springs, Coonabarabran, Barradine, Gunnedah, and Boggabri. 



The district maybe conveniently divided into three divisions for the 

 purpose of description : The eastern portion, east and west of a line through 

 Barraba, Manilla, Tamworth, Murrurundi ; the western division, with 

 Coonabarabran as the centre ; and the central or Gunnedah division. 



The climate of this district is generally temperate, fairly warm in summer, 

 with occasional frosts in winter. The coldest parts of the district are the 

 ranges to the west of Coonabarabran, with an altitude of 4,000 feet. 



The mean annual temperature varies between 57 degrees and 64 degrees 

 Fah., according to the locality. With the same reservation, the mean summer 

 temperature is from 68 degrees to 78 degrees Fah., and the winter from 46 ■ 



